The invention pertains to doors. More particularly, the present invention pertains to storm doors and structures for supporting mortise locks within storm doors.
The architectural location of storm doors tends to dictate that they exhibit relatively small depth so as to be light weight and easily installable in a variety of applications. They must be sufficiently strong to withstand substantial forces due to opening and closing as well as impact forces as various objects are moved near or through the respective door frames. They must also withstand slamming of the door by the users and withstand strong winds.
The doors must remain effective and operable over wide temperature ranges and humidity conditions. They must withstand the deteriorating effects of variations in weather over long periods of time while retaining an acceptable appearance.
To meet the above criteria, a variety of different materials have been used for storm doors. Known storm doors can be formed of wood, particle board, medium density fiberboard, honeycombed material, vinyl, foam filled styrene, composite wood, engineered wood-type materials, as well as foamed resins. Often a combination of these materials is used. Other types of particulate material as well as other polymer based materials have also been used.
Representative storm door structures have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,161,346 and 5,077,948 assigned to the assignee of the present application. Those patents are incorporated herein by reference.
Storm doors usually include some form of a lock mechanism so as to enable the consumer or home owner to lock the storm door and leave the interior, primary solid security door open. Mortise lock assemblies have been used in known storm doors.
One such configuration has been disclosed and claimed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/911,604 entitled Wood Core Exterior Door With Mortise Lock filed Jul. 24, 2001 and assigned to the assignee hereof. That application is incorporated herein by reference. In the subject application, in one embodiment, multiple sections of a stile are combined with a lock receiving container to form unitary stiles. The unitary stiles can be combined with rails or kick plates to form a door.
While the structure of the above-noted application, incorporated herein by reference, is useful and effective for its intended purpose, in some door designs, unlike the door disclosed in the above-noted application, a unitary core is used. Alternately, unitary stiles can be used. In such designs where the edges of the core or the stiles are bored or drilled for the purpose of installing mortise-type locks, potential problems may arise given the thickness of the core or the stiles versus the width of the borings or openings necessary to receive the lock. Hence, care must be taken not to weaken the respective core or stile in the vicinity of where the mortise lock is to be installed.
There thus continues to be a need for storm doors bored to receive mortise locks in such a way as to maximize available cross sectional strength of the door, in the vicinity of the boring for the mortise lock. In addition, in doors with moisture absorbing cores, wood or wood-like cores, it would be desirable to prevent moisture from traveling from a lock or lock cavity into the door core.
The invention provides an improved door construction, such as for a storm door. The door includes right and left vertical members, a head panel and a base panel or, rails. Alternately, the door can have a unitary core with cut-outs for glass or screen inserts.
The vertical edges each have an elongated opening or slot having curved ends joined by planer sides such that the available cross sectional strength of the respective door is maximized in the vicinity of the boring. With molded cores, appropriately shaped elongated openings can be molded in spaced apart vertical core edges. In a preferred embodiment, a ratio of the radius of the ends of the slot to the width thereof exceeds 0.4.
In one disclosed embodiment, a metal or plastic sleeve can be slid into and frictionally retained within a respective opening or slot to provide a moisture seal and prevent moisture from the lock or the slot(s) from migrating into the core as well as to improve strength and stability of the respective core or door.
The sleeves can each carry stile or core engaging protrusions which extend laterally from the respective sides of the sleeve to improve retention force. Alternately, the sleeves can be held in place with adhesive. A sealant can be incorporated between the opening and the sleeve to further enhance moisture resistance.
In a disclosed embodiment, a narrow mortise lock having a live bolt with a height on the order of xc2xe-xe2x85x9e of an inch can be installed in the opening with or without a sleeve. Where used with a sleeve, the lock can have a housing which extends into the sleeve, and, has an exterior cross section which matches an interior cross section of the sleeve. Alternately, the mortise lock can be sized and shaped to be used without a sleeve or insert and can be installed directly into the elongated opening.
In a preferred embodiment, both edges of the door are bored substantially identically. Depending on which side of the door is hinged, that respective opening can be closed with a snap-fit cover.
The present invention is especially advantageous when embodied in doors, with a width less than one inch, on the order of xc2xe of an inch thick. In such embodiments, the slot or opening, as a result of its cross section, can be formed in the edge of the core with a width on the order of five-eights of an inch with five-sixteenth inch end radii. The end radii which result, for example in semicircular cylindrical end regions, provide greater core strength in the vicinity of the ends than would be available in the presence of substantially square corners.
The width of the opening can be filled with a sleeve in combination with a narrow mortise lock. The sleeve can be separate from or attached to the mortise lock. Alternately, the lock can be sealed and sized to slidably fit into the opening without a sleeve.
Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings.